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Benson makes a statement

Our new Commish has basically said we will hold at 10 football schools and 12 Olympic Sports schools for the time being:
Conference Realignment: Sun Belt Won't Add Idaho, New Mexico St.
May

23

2:42p
by Satchel Price

The Sun Belt Conference announced on Wednesday that it will not expand its football-playing membership beyond ten schools in the near future, making it increasingly unlikely that Idaho and New Mexico St. will be able to remain in the FBS.

We are not pursuing additional members at this time. At this juncture, the Sun Belt shouldn't be considered a landing spot whether it's an FCS member or an existing FBS member. [This announcement will] allow both Idaho and New Mexico State to know the direction the Sun Belt is headed. Personally, I wish the best for the University of Idaho and New Mexico State.

It's looking bleak for both schools as the WAC's football-playing membership has effectively fallen apart. With just two football-playing teams remaining in the conference, Idaho and New Mexico St., it's unlikely that the WAC will be able to sustain itself as an FBS conference.

In that case, Idaho and New Mexico State can either pray for a variety of FCS teams to come to save the WAC, hope to survive in the FBS as independent schools, or simply fall back into the FCS.

We here at New Mexico State University commend you on your ability to not only create a conference but also maintain this conference’s existence. We’ve come to the conclusion during this latest round of expansion that constructing a league is one thing; ensuring its survival is quite another. As you may have heard, the Western Athletic Conference — our home since the start of the 2005-6 academic year — is on the verge of extinction. The league’s disintegration has come about as a result of an exodus of biblical proportions: six more institutions have announced their intention to leave the WAC, joining four former members who have left over the last 12 months, leaving only ourselves and Idaho without any future conference affiliation, should the WAC cease to exist as a football league.

Due to the WAC’s unsteady future, we here at New Mexico State University are searching for another conference to call home. We aren’t picky; we’re merely looking for a space to store our stuff. Our only request — and please forgive our adamant stance on this topic — is that a new conference play football on the F.B.S. level. If you are interested in adding a university with state funding, a great basketball program, an underrated baseball program and a football program, please contact us at the above address or via the listed phone number. We check our email and voice mail every 30 seconds. We here at New Mexico State are anxiously awaiting your return correspondence.

We here at New Mexico State University commend you on your ability to not only create a conference but also maintain this conference’s existence. We’ve come to the conclusion during this latest round of expansion that constructing a league is one thing; ensuring its survival is quite another. As you may have heard, the Western Athletic Conference — our home since the start of the 2005-6 academic year — is on the verge of extinction. The league’s disintegration has come about as a result of an exodus of biblical proportions: six more institutions have announced their intention to leave the WAC, joining four former members who have left over the last 12 months, leaving only ourselves and Idaho without any future conference affiliation, should the WAC cease to exist as a football league.

Due to the WAC’s unsteady future, we here at New Mexico State University are searching for another conference to call home. We aren’t picky; we’re merely looking for a space to store our stuff. Our only request — and please forgive our adamant stance on this topic — is that a new conference play football on the F.B.S. level. If you are interested in adding a university with state funding, a great basketball program, an underrated baseball program and a football program, please contact us at the above address or via the listed phone number. We check our email and voice mail every 30 seconds. We here at New Mexico State are anxiously awaiting your return correspondence.

If both Idaho and NMSU just hang in there and go independent, they will evenually be gobbled up by the Big East. It will not be long before the dominoes fall again as I will bet the Big 12 will get a couple of ACC schools, then the ACC will steal two of the Big East schools thus they will be calling to fill in their open slots. We need to count our many blessings that it wasn't the Sun Belt that went belly up as it could have been us on the outside looking in. We are just where we need to be in a conference with a reasonable footprint and we will likely grow East when the time is right to pick up schools like App State and Ga Southern.
Go TROY!